1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to food graters for grating and shredding food fragments from a large, solid food block, and specifically to graters of the type which provide cutting blades over which a user manually moves a food block.
2. The Prior Art
Graters and shredders are well-known kitchen utensils. They are used for fragmenting food, such as cheese, vegetables, etc. for a variety of prepared dishes.
Commonly available graters typically are four-sided metal forms, which create a box open at the top and bottom. The grater has an array of cutting blades stamped to project outwardly differing degrees from each of the four sides, in order to grate food into fragments of varying size. The grater is formed from a blank sheet, with the blades stamped from the same stock as the body of the grater. In order to make the blades sharp enough to cut food, approximately 0.005 to 0.025 inches, the blank sheet must be of the same thickness. Consequently, after the blades are stamped outward and the sheet is reformed into a rectangular or square body, the body will have the same stock thickness as the blades. The result is a thin, rather insubstantial body which can easily become deformed from use.
A secondary consequence is that the blade edges can have burrs from the stamping process, creating a hazard to the user who must manually pressure the food block across the blades.
While commercially available graters and shredders work relatively well, certain deficiencies attend their use. First, as explained above, the grater body is thin-walled metal, making the device susceptible to deformation, also prone to rust after repeated washings. Secondly, the metal stamped teeth may have burrs which can cut a user during use. In addition, the stamp and form manufacturing process used to form the devices is relatively slow and expensive. Additionally, the body of conventional graters lacks a convenient means for collecting and measuring the amount of grated food. Food fragments are confined loosely on the work surface within the sidewalls of the grater, and the amount of food must be estimated by eye. Finally, box-shaped existing graters are bulky to store and provide less than satisfactory rigidity when grating pressure is applied to the grating surface.